Best Software Quality Assurance Analyst programs in Minnesota, ranked by enrollment
Develop and execute software tests to identify software problems and their causes. Test system modifications to prepare for implementation.
53 schools in Minnesota run programs that feed this job, graduating 3,153 people a year. The job pays a median of $101,700 in Minnesota across about 2,630 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Minnesota that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
10 programs in Minnesota that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Minnesota (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Minnesota page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 11.0701In Minnesota → | 1,705 | 54.1% | 32 | $70,374 | $23,250 |
| 2 | CIP 11.0103In Minnesota → | 423 | 13.4% | 8 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 3 | CIP 11.0201In Minnesota → | 291 | 9.2% | 13 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 4 | CIP 11.0101In Minnesota → | 275 | 8.7% | 6 | $57,986 | $24,286 |
| 5 | CIP 11.0501In Minnesota → | 134 | 4.2% | 1 | $51,805 | $46,000 |
| 6 | CIP 14.0901In Minnesota → | 97 | 3.1% | 5 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 7 | CIP 11.0202In Minnesota → | 84 | 2.7% | 6 | $46,719 | $20,729 |
| 8 | CIP 14.0903In Minnesota → | 77 | 2.4% | 7 | $78,333 | $24,098 |
| 9 | CIP 15.1202In Minnesota → | 63 | 2.0% | 7 | $48,829 | $21,696 |
| 10 | CIP 15.1201In Minnesota → | 4 | 0.1% | 2 | $48,829 | $21,696 |
Top 25 schools in Minnesota
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 23 of the 53 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 4 feeder programs | 945 | Computer Science | $82,861 | 85% | — | 80% |
| 2 | North Hennepin Community College Brooklyn Park, MN Public · 3 feeder programs | 218 | Computer Programming/Programmer, General | — | 22% | — | — |
| 3 | Metropolitan State University Saint Paul, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 190 | Computer Science | $72,865 | 44% | — | 99% |
| 4 | Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN Public · 5 feeder programs | 148 | Information Technology | $71,742 | 54% | — | 88% |
| 5 | Capella University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 130 | Information Technology | $74,674 | 20% | $19,369 | — |
| 6 | University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 118 | Computer Science | $73,224 | 65% | — | 89% |
| 7 | University of St Thomas Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 118 | Information Technology | — | 76% | $28,888 | 85% |
| 8 | Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis, MN Public · 3 feeder programs | 110 | Computer Programming, Specific Applications | $55,069 | 20% | — | — |
| 9 | Summit Academy Opportunities Industrialization Center Minneapolis, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 105 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $39,833 | 64% | $17,453 | — |
| 10 | Walden University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 103 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $77,690 | — | — | — |
| 11 | Normandale Community College Bloomington, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 100 | Computer Science | — | 27% | — | — |
| 12 | Carleton College Northfield, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 93 | Computer Science | $88,132 | 90% | $18,669 | 20% |
| 13 | Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN Public · 3 feeder programs | 83 | Computer Science | $63,287 | 40% | — | 95% |
| 14 | Rasmussen University - Minnesota St. Cloud, MN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 64 | Computer Software Engineering | $48,263 | 53% | $19,944 | — |
| 15 | Winona State University Winona, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 48 | Computer Science | $65,817 | 57% | — | 75% |
| 16 | Macalester College Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 39 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $81,964 | 87% | $21,441 | 29% |
| 17 | Rochester Community and Technical College Rochester, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 33 | Computer Science | — | 29% | — | — |
| 18 | Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 31 | Computer Science | $63,065 | 52% | $23,585 | 82% |
| 19 | Saint Paul College Saint Paul, MN Public · 3 feeder programs | 31 | Computer Science | — | 40% | — | — |
| 20 | Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Computer Science | — | 77% | $21,607 | 61% |
| 21 | Concordia University - Saint Paul Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Computer Science | $72,875 | 46% | $17,328 | 79% |
| 22 | Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 24 | Information Technology | $44,836 | 47% | — | — |
| 23 | Anoka Technical College Anoka, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 23 | Computer/Computer Systems Technology/Technician | $41,158 | 66% | — | — |
| 24 | St Olaf College Northfield, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Computer Science | $82,278 | 84% | $18,124 | 48% |
| 25 | The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 23 | Computer and Information Sciences, General | $60,845 | 71% | $21,150 | 93% |
All 53 schools in Minnesota
Every school in Minnesota with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis | Public | 945 | 4 |
| North Hennepin Community College | Brooklyn Park | Public | 218 | 3 |
| Metropolitan State University | Saint Paul | Public | 190 | 2 |
| Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato | Public | 148 | 5 |
| Capella University | Minneapolis | Private for-profit | 130 | 3 |
| University of Minnesota - Duluth | Duluth | Public | 118 | 1 |
| University of St Thomas | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 118 | 4 |
| Minneapolis Community and Technical College | Minneapolis | Public | 110 | 3 |
| Summit Academy Opportunities Industrialization Center | Minneapolis | Private not-for-profit | 105 | 1 |
| Walden University | Minneapolis | Private for-profit | 103 | 2 |
| Normandale Community College | Bloomington | Public | 100 | 2 |
| Carleton College | Northfield | Private not-for-profit | 93 | 1 |
| Saint Cloud State University | Saint Cloud | Public | 83 | 3 |
| Rasmussen University - Minnesota | St. Cloud | Private for-profit | 64 | 2 |
| Winona State University | Winona | Public | 48 | 2 |
What software quality assurance analysts and testers earn in Minnesota
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $104,300. Minnesota pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Minnesota
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers page.
How to become a Software Quality Assurance Analyst
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Minnesota
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 15 majors mapped to Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers15 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 11.0101Computer and Information Sciences, General
- 11.0103Information Technology
- 11.0104Informatics
- 11.0201Computer Programming/Programmer, General
- 11.0202Computer Programming, Specific Applications
- 11.0203Computer Programming, Vendor/Product Certification
- 11.0204Computer Game Programming
- 11.0205Computer Programming, Specific Platforms
- 11.0501Computer Systems Analysis/Analyst
- 11.0701Computer Science
- 14.0901Computer Engineering, General
- 14.0903Computer Software Engineering
- 15.1201Computer Engineering Technology/Technician
- 15.1202Computer/Computer Systems Technology/Technician
- 15.1204Computer Software Technology/Technician
Common questions
Answers for people weighing software quality assurance analysts and testers programs in Minnesota.
What degree do you need to become a Software Quality Assurance Analyst?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Computer Science, which awarded 1,705 degrees in Minnesota in 2024-25, 54.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Software Quality Assurance Analyst?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 10 programs to this occupation. The largest are Computer Science, Computer and Information Sciences, Computer Programming, Computer Engineering, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 3,153 people a year in Minnesota.
How much do software quality assurance analysts and testers earn in Minnesota?+
The median is $101,700 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.5% below the U.S. median of $104,300. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for software quality assurance analysts and testers growing?+
BLS projects a +10.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 14,000 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Minnesota?+
53 institutions in Minnesota reported graduates from at least one of the 10 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do software quality assurance analysts and testers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Software Test Engineer, Software Quality Engineer, Quality Assurance Analyst (QA Analyst), Software Quality Assurance Engineer (SQA Engineer) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 15-1253.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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